Used 2018 Lexus RX 350 Consumer Reviews
Used RX 350 for sale
Many great features but. . .
Kathy, 12/31/2020
2018 Lexus RX 350 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
49 of 51 people found this review helpful
This was my first Lexus and I was excited about purchasing the 2018 RX 350. It had been a leased vehicle at the dealership for a year. I love many things about the car -- it has a nice ride on the interstate, love the design and overall looks. My biggest disappointment is the erratic nature of the transmission as you try to accelerate, especially at lower speeds. I had my car serviced several times for other things (recalls, scheduled maintenance, etc.) and always had them look at why my acceleration was not smooth. Finally, after having them look at it for a third time, the service manager was honest with me and said they had changed the engine/transmission on the 2018 and later models. He explained that the engine was designed to constantly be looking for the best gear/speed/rpm, etc. to get the best gas mileage. I had been given a 2017 RX 350 courtesy car while mine was in the shop and I'll have to say that I felt it was a much smoother ride, smoother acceleration, quieter engine and it even felt heavier. I still enjoy my 2018 but I will certainly be much more careful if I purchase another Lexus. I wasn't prepared for it to be a somewhat disappointing experience after paying what I felt was a premium price.
Reliable as an anvil.
Eric Beer, 06/19/2021
updated 06/26/2023
2018 Lexus RX 350 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
Mileage has been mentioned by many reviewers. I drive mostly in town. I only get about 17 mpg. I can get up to 26 on the interstate. My 2018 model does not have Apple Carplay. I find that odd and silly. Also there is a compartment on the console to hold a cell phone, but it must have been designed before smart phones because no current phone will fit in it. Stupid. This is my second RX 350. I had such good luck with my 2010, I was happy to get another Lex. I looked at Audi and BMW and MB but you have to pay 10 or 20K more for the same quality and features. Also, it really honked me off that I have to pay $8 a month to keep my remote start working. Ridiculous. This may keep me from buying another Lexus unless they stop that nonsense. Update: I have had the car for over 5 years and absolutely no repairs of any kind. Reliable as an anvil.
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Great, comfy, premium SUV
Zoolander090, 10/14/2018
2018 Lexus RX 350 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
37 of 40 people found this review helpful
We bought this 2018 RX350 in June of 2018 so we've had it for almost 4 months and 3000 miles. My wife is the primary driver but I drive it about twice a week. The reason I give these details is because while shopping for a car for her, we agreed that I also had to like it. We test drove the 2019 RDX with SH-AWD and the 2018 Q5 with Quattro. We opted for the RX because it has a great interior design and quality of built in all areas. This is my second new Lexus and have owned new Acuras, BMW's and Audis. So far, Lexus has been our best ownership experience and together with the interior, we opted for the RX. Audi offers better exterior design but their reliability is poor in my experience and we want to keep this car past its initial warranty where Audi just falls apart. The RDX had the best drivetrain and handling but I couldn't get over the interior and center stack. Our RX comes with the premium sound, premium interior (I forgot the name of the packages) but it does have the wood accents and nicer leather as well as the Navigation package. It's a FWD. We live in sunny California and the AWD system of the RX is a snooze compared to Quattro and/or SH-AWD and only activates upon slipping so not much use for us that justified the premium pay.
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Problem with acceleration - otherwise great car
Ken, 10/04/2019
2018 Lexus RX 350 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
17 of 18 people found this review helpful
This is my 2nd RX350. I super loved the first one that I had 3 years. This one is a constantly frustrating driving experience over the past 12 months that I've had it. The engine / acceleration surges and chokes the entire time, which is significantly worse when the engine is cold, and consistently annoying when trying to drive. I've had it in the dealership, plus Lexus Corporate had a field service technical evaluate it. I was told the same thing others have reported here online, that it was typical of the model and nothing wrong with it. It makes the other small issues seem worse. The anti collision has come on and threw me into the steering wheel (yes I had my seat belt on) because it mis-read the parked car next to me. Conversely, several times it didn't work when it was supposed to, which almost caused me to hit someone. I have a safety concern that the surge will cause an accident.
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Nice, comfortable ride with a few minor flaws
AL, 06/25/2018
2018 Lexus RX 350 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
62 of 71 people found this review helpful
Coming from 2016 Accord V6-EX sedan, which is already a very feature packed vehicle, the first impression on 2018 RX 350 AWD is the much smoother and cushy ride. Accord had a very jerky transmission I had to fight with and an aggressive fuel savings (25-35 MPG on Accord vs 15-20 on RX) from which the gear switching and the ride comfort suffered. RX seems to have a much better sound system - at least it has the mids, comfortable and more adjustable seats - compared to the headrest tilting too much forward, and a large 12 inch entertainment screen (comes with NAV) - though it is not a touch screen and the controls are awkward and sluggish as compared to the touch screen and nearly perfect integration with smartphones as well as fast response time on the Accord. RX has a much larger and versatile storage / hauling capabilities, although the two are not in the same category. Looking further, the RX has a working Sport mode, where on the Accord the sport mode seems to ride two gears down from where it is supposed to be - driving at 4-5k RPM at 40-60mph makes one look like an idiot on the Accord. The Accord seems to have better dash and door materials and they are not as marr prone as on RX where after a week you can definatelly notice dust and smudges in places you touched them with your hands. No wonder my neighbors are washing and cleaning their RX every week. Paint seems much better and thicker on the RX where as on the new Accord models it is skin deep - after two years of driving on the highway, the front is littered with paint deeps and chips from tiny road dirt. One thing however that is not acceptable from Lexus is the requirement to pay to use the remote starter ($80-96/yr, even though it is already installed with push start) and the fact that once the vehicle is remotely started the vehicle shuts off as soon as you enter it - some safety nonsense. Accord also has a remote starter built in and it works at get go from the key fob; you can get into the car and press break+start to continue without the car ever shutting off - again this is the ideal implementation here and shame on Lexus for making us pay for a half baked nickel and dime solution. If you leave the remote inside Accord, the car won't let you lock and will beep at you, while the Lexus does none of that. Another thing to note is how loud the engine is on the RX from outside compared to the other new cars which are barely audible when new. There is also some loud knocking heard from the engine while parked as well as some whining when driving at 70 mph or higher and slightly holding the gas pedal - it generates noise similar to engine being revved up and let go (like it is running out of gas), all the while you are pressing the gas pedal consistently. Read some reviews and some suggested to wait a few thousand miles at which point the noises should disappear. Until then, these are my observations. To be continued.
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Not as good as it should be
JLFAustin, 12/29/2019
2018 Lexus RX 350 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
This is my second Lexus and it has disappointed. As another reviewer commented, the transmission really is annoying. It doesn't know where it wants to be. Another irritant is the creaking in the rear tailgate that is about to be fixed for the 3rd time. The inside trim is also buzzy. On the plus side, the seats are excellent and the Mark Levinson sound system is top notch. I'm sure reliability will be great. Too bad it has some really annoying problems.
Well rounded vehicle
Denver Commuter, 07/10/2018
2018 Lexus RX 350 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
24 of 27 people found this review helpful
Extremely quiet and comfortable. Insulates driver from the drama of city driving. Love the aggressive styling. Mileage ratings not accurate. I'm getting 17 to 18 mpg in pure city driving, and 30 to 32 mpg pure highway. Carving canyons is the lowest priority for me, much prefer a luxurious ride and a car that can easily go 200k miles with a line of folks waiting to pay top dollar to buy it from you when you get there.
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LOVE this car! Only one glitch.
DJB, 10/20/2019
updated 01/06/2023
2018 Lexus RX 350 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
Still love this car! Zero issues. Just now had some brake work done at 66k miles. Not bad for all of the mountain roads I travel. I cannot think of a thing that I don't like about this car. Its a bit pricier than many in its class, but worth it. My body shop man recommended that I consider Lexus after my dismal Mercedes experiences because he sees so many Lexus' with lots and lots of miles on them and still running well. .So glad I listened. The vehicle is heavier than most, feels more solid and is fabulous in snow and strong winds. Comfortable and quiet ride even in the back seat. Planning to keep it.... Well into year two with this car and still love it! Only routine maintenance needs every 5k miles. With my last Mercedes I was in the shop 5x in 6 months for the same issue. Now, 3 years into driving, the covers on the center console creak and squeeze when my arm is on them. Minor annoyance. UPDATE: I/we love this car. Great for road trips and amazing on our mountain, snowy roads (with the right tires of course). I should update but am afraid I wouldn't like the newer version as much.
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Great car, awful transmission!
tmac4718, 12/14/2019
updated 06/17/2021
2018 Lexus RX 350 F SPORT 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
I just want to start of saying I really do love this car but there are just a few things that in my opinion are an absolute disgrace for any vehicle of this price range but especially Toyota/LEXUS. 25,000 miles 350 Fsport. My #1 complaint and it is a huge one is the absolute god awful transmission!! What a complete joke. I spent allot of time driving this car before buying plus the hybrid. It’s impossible to find out how awful the transmission is until you drove it daily. The only way the tranny is tolerable is in sport or sport plus modes. Normal and eco mode is a flipping disaster under normal acceleration and daily driving. Like another review said it has no idea what it wants to do. How hard can it be to figure this out in the 21st century. The eight speed tranny sure doesn’t help the mpg any that’s for sure so take out 1-2 gears so it’s not totally confused. Hard acceleration is ok, normal is just a miserable experience for any vehicle. Enough said on this topic, no excuse Lexus it’s just awful! Second complaint is the rattles, what the F...? We have a section of freeway in our city that is pretty rough from studded tires and it brings every rattle to life in this car. Every door panel rattles and goes away with slight pressure. Bad rattle coming from the right rear passenger seat belt holder. This is my 6th Toyota product and the first Lexus. By far the most rattly car I’ve ever owned and all my other vehicles from Acura, Nissan, Toyota’s are nothing like this. Dealership says they know about the door rattles and have fixes for them when I take it in for the next service. They said Lexus’s manufactured in Canada versus japan are known for more rattles and mine is a North American VIN #, lovely. MPG sucks by the way. Not even close to what the sticker says. Thank goodness for regular gas at least. Average since I’ve owned the car says 20.5mpg. Winter average is worse. Cmon Lexus that is a joke for a 2018 car. I was fully expecting around 23 average but haven’t even come close to seeing that. The ventilated seat on the drivers side is noise as heck compared to the passenger side and will be having them look into it, again where is the quality control? Rotors.... 18,000 miles and road trip down a steep grade into Lewiston, Idaho and the vibration/shake that feel like warped rotors was very present. Are you kidding me? $55,000 brand new luxury car and it already has a brake/rotor issue? The lumbar support/adjustment is god awful as well. Impossible to use anything other than it being all the way down or else it feels like someone is pushing a 2x4 standing on edge into your back, unreal. Plus I’m not kidding you when I say the lumbar area/cushion is poppy, noisy, whatever, just not quality. Been a very interesting experience for sure. RUN away from a 350 and go for the hybrid for sure, hands down, without a doubt go for the hybrid, don’t even think twice no matter what the cost difference. It’s not about the mpg difference which is big but the overall daily driving experience has to be better than this. I love the car and would buy another in a heart beat BUT it has to be a hybrid and I would look for a Japanese built VIN #. Updating for June 2021. Love the car, despise the transmission. That’s all I have to say.
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3rd Lexus, 2nd RX F-SPORT...
ACBENOVA, 06/03/2018
2018 Lexus RX 350 F SPORT 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
38 of 44 people found this review helpful
My 2015 RX350 F-SPORT was almost done. Lexus was offering to pay for last 3 months and disposition fee if I stayed loyal to the brand. Normally I would've just leased another Lexus but the spindle grill had me on the fence. I looked at 2018 Range Rover Velar and 2018 Audi Q7. The Velar was a stunner but questionable reliability and first year production scared me. I actually looked at the Audi Q5 first but liked the Q7 better. It was a toss up between the RX and Q7 but I would've had to buy the 4 cylinder Q7 just to be close to the RX's lease deal and that's not even counting the the 3 payments plus disposition fee Lexus was giving. In the end I couldn't pass up the Lexus. I leased an F-SPORT because I actually liked the aggressive design. The 2018 RX F-SPORT is better in every way to my previous RX F-SPORT except for seat comfort. I think the new seats are a tad bit too aggressively bolstered. I'm getting used to it however. I also highly recommend getting the Levinson stereo . It's simply divine. I'm happy with my decision. Lexus service is second to none and they make the best vehicles.